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Thanks....fortunately I've never had to use it while backpacking etc. but it's nice to have in your bag of tricks. I've only been skunked once in several years of hanging. That was in Joshua Tree NP in CA...basically a desert (sp). I knew what I was in for there so I had a tent as a backup.

Since we were on the subject I thought I'd grab my new Switchback and see how it would do on the ground. I liked the results especially since it has four tieouts on the hammock bed to stretch it out and keep it in place. The line holding the netting to the pole is a bungee which comes with the hammock. It's attached to the tarp with a #0 Nite Ize biner. That's a Hennessy Tarp.

It just occurred to me that having an elegant ground set-up is a very under-marketed factor among all the various hammock gear companies. It would be really cool if someone could make an ultralight hammock, with elegant ground set up as a bug bivy.

Not having slept in all the various hammocks out there, it looks to me like the Switchback has the closest thing to what I'm talking about, but there's still much room for improvement.

Me too.. this is why I love hanging out (pun intended) at HF, always great ideas and people who have already done what you want to do!

I'm going to be doing a five month thruhike of NZ next month, terrain will vary from beaches to rainforest to high alpine, and many Kiwis commented to me that my shelter choice was crazy because a number of places lack trees. Course, I can always improvise or use natural or manmade structures to hang from..and worst case, go to ground :-) Anyway, I'll take pics of any setup that might help others.

I got in a fight one time with a really big guy, and he said, "I'm going to mop the floor with your face." I said, "You'll be sorry." He said, "Oh, yeah? Why?" I said, "Well, you won't be able to get into the corners very well."

Re: WBBB going to ground.

Originally Posted by guySmiley

It just occurred to me that having an elegant ground set-up is a very under-marketed factor among all the various hammock gear companies. It would be really cool if someone could make an ultralight hammock, with elegant ground set up as a bug bivy.

Not having slept in all the various hammocks out there, it looks to me like the Switchback has the closest thing to what I'm talking about, but there's still much room for improvement.

I believe the new DD Jungle Hammock is also designed to be a bivy although not ultralight.

I never set mine up as a bivvi like the manufacturer intended and my TW hammock has a pretty uber bivvi function with built in ground sheet. It really is quite something.

Instead i leave my UQ and TQ in my hammock at all times, i use a good breathable bivvi as a snake skin / bishop bag, if you will. I just slide it over the whole lot making a sleeping bag, roll it up, compress with the bivvi bags straps like a czech sleeping roll or stuff in a dry sack.

When i want to use it as a bivvi all i do is roll it out, clamber in and zip up the bug net, job done. To use as a hammock i just hang it and roll back the bivvi, job done.

I don't get why folk detach all their kit each time, maybe there is fun in it for some. Individual units take more care while packing and consume more time to both put up and pack. If you use different quilt sets for different trips just assemble as a unit before setting off, simples.

The bivvi bag can be replaced with a waterproof, breathable hammock sock but i prefer a bivvi bag, for me it has more uses.

Each to their own though, that's just what i find easier, faster and comfortable.